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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.9 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 27 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Ernestas on 1/18/2024 & rated 95 points: A mythical winemaker in Loire and Clos de la Neore, from the heart of Les Monts Damnes vineyard is probably the finest Sancerre out there. Made from 50+ year old vines, aged in small enameled vats, bottled unfiltered. Shy aroma at first but with time and warmth builds up to complex and subtle notes of lemon, honey, pineapple, flint, stone, jasmine, lime, chalk. Medium+ body, divine crystalline and ethereal mineral concentrated vibrant structure, salty shellfish hints, pleasantly bitter, braced with high acidity. (786 views) | | | Tasted by chngpw on 11/17/2023 & rated 91 points: My first Vatan. I was not sure what to expect but it was interesting to say the least. Surprisingly chiselled when cold but the moment it warms up, it becomes massive on the palate. Strangely, I felt that the palate profile was similar to Pinot Blanc. Definitely not an archetypal Sauv Blanc, really alcoholic on the finish too. That said the finish is incredibly long which saves this wine. Not sure I’d pay the current premium though. (647 views) | | | Tasted by BordeauxBuff on 10/2/2022 & rated 97 points: Consumed from a magnum acquired at auction.
Dense and monolithic upon first sip, as denoted by other notes.
But this wine gained tremendous complexity and aromatics over the course of the next several hours.
I had the pleasure of revisiting this magnum of Vatan Sancerre and it completely transformed on the second day. A kaleidoscope of citrus, white flowers and precise minerality, which went on in a finish that seemed to last forever.
This truly belongs as one of the great white wines of the world, and has a long life ahead of it. Highly recommended and worth the price of admission. Drink 2024-2050. (1297 views) | | | Tasted by LW31 on 10/21/2021: Dense, monolithic. Hard to read for the first 30-40 minutes. But around 1 hr it was beginning to unfurl. Waves of rich dry fruit and extract. Nothing about this screamed Sancerre. Lacking thé excitement and energy that I usually find in these wines. Where will it go in 5 years? (1900 views) | | | Tasted by Nojomoschwa on 8/17/2020 & rated 93 points: Quite monolithic. One of the tasters, who is very familiar with Vatan (has been to the estate and tasted really old vintages there), said it was oxidized a bit. Didn't really taste that. What a complex, savory and deliciously long wine. (2276 views) | | | Tasted by glou.sf on 6/27/2020 & rated 93 points: Nose is quite light, but with lots of minerals, citrus, and saline notes. Great acidity with tart peach, lemon, rocks, and chalk on the palate. Good finish. Great wine, but wouldn't buy at today's prices... (2212 views) | | | Tasted by short and confused on 1/27/2020 & rated 95 points: Light golden yellow. Chalk, vanilla, orange peel, mint and tarragon on the nose. Rich warm juicy tropical fruits in the mouth without too much sweetness. Has a dense visors feel. The finish is bizarrely long. Really exceptional wine. Enjoyed at a dinner with lots of really good wines (Dauvissat, Raveneau, Cathiard, Dujac, Roumier and Rousseau) and this one held its own. Made from a single hectare in Chavignol by Anne Vatan, Edmund's daughter. Apparently she is married to Nadi Foucault from Clos Rougeard. (2485 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 6/2/2019 flawed bottle: Not sure if this bottle was entirely sound -- just seemed a little more apple-juicy and advanced than expected. It's a heady, ripe, and thick wine, with some significant alcoholic burn on the back end. But end of the day, I think this showed slight oxidation issues. (2978 views) | | | Tasted by galenico on 1/28/2019: I TRE TENORI (WESTIN MILANO): Chavignol impone il silenzio aromatico a uno dei vitigni più loquaci del panorama vitivinicolo mondiale. L' afasia aromatica lascia il posto a una bocca che sa di sassi bagnati, terra, aria e acqua, ma mai di frutti.
Anne Vatan perpetua il miracolo laico di produrre un vino che non odora di nulla se non dei sassi da cui nasce.
Vino di non facile lettura, immortale e ieratico. Astenersi ricercatori di profumi inebrianti. (2952 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 1/21/2018 & rated 90 points: Vatan (2002 rouge, 2004-12) (Chicago, IL): It's almost fitting that the best wine of the night (2010) was followed by the worst (2011), which was then followed by this, which was was so ordinary and foursquare. It ticks all the tickboxes, crosses the t's and dots the i's, but I'm not sure there's too much to be excited about here. Yes, it tastes like Vatan, and it's definitely typical for the producer, but this just doesn't quite have the pizzazz that I found in all the better bottles tonight. (2950 views) | | | Tasted by salil on 1/21/2018: Vatan-a-thon at TDS (Chicago, IL): Eh. This was tasty enough, but did nothing for me - bright citrus fruit tinged with herbs and chalky minerality, but it's lacking a gear in terms of both depth and intensity relative to most of the others. Perhaps its too young, perhaps my palate was just tired by this point in the night, but I didn't enjoy it all that much beyond finding a few sips quite nice. (2967 views) | | | Tasted by Nanda on 1/21/2018 & rated 90 points: Vatan Vertical (TDS): The youngest of the 9-vintage vertical, and it showed. This was all youthful exuberance and no poise. Big nose of ripe fresh-cut apple and mineral. The palate is tasty, rich and almost bordering on sweet given it's primary ripeness. Stuffed with acidity too, it's just not in harmony with the dense, youthful fruit. Lots of upside, I suspect. (2731 views) | | | Tasted by Andyofoto on 10/22/2017: This wine is one of the great whites of the world. I you open this decant for 2-3 hours. World Class. (1985 views) | | | Tasted by esh44 on 12/22/2016: Grumpy and unfriendly tonight. Over the course of a couple hours, had moments where there was a dense mix of pretty floral and tropical layers, but for the most part monotone. Would be curious to try again after a good bit of age. (2429 views) | | | Tasted by tooch on 9/24/2016: Took some time to open up, but even after an hour or two of air, this was still somewhat monolithic. Had drips of tropical tones and not much else. Will let my other bottles slumber...for a while. (2893 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 9/23/2016: Friday Afternoon at Domaine Storage (Domaine Storage - Chicago IL): Tasting, brief note. Great nose, then closed palate with great concentration that hints at this wine's excellent 92-93 point potential, even if not lots of pleasure on the taste buds right now. (2997 views) | | | Tasted by Nanda on 9/23/2016: Friday Afternoon at Domaine (Domaine Wine Storage): Young and monolithic at this stage. Even with 60-90 minutes of decanting, this was showing non-delineated and heady. Big, round and lush in the mouth make for a powerful presence. Needs time to flesh out and develop some nuance. (2748 views) | | | Tasted by JOsgood on 9/2/2015: This was just awesome. Huge and dry. Lots of complexity. Should age wonderfully. (3231 views) | | | Tasted by the godfather on 9/1/2015: An absolute beast full of complexity, massive finish (2586 views) | | | Tasted by AYHuang on 7/25/2015 & rated 92 points: Very young as expected, but very linear with the acidity and saline finish. Clearly sancerre but doesn't have the classic sauv. Blanc nose. Beautiful stuff and would love to see it with age. (2602 views) | | | Tasted by Eric Guido on 7/17/2015 & rated 93 points: The nose was incredible, as it seemed to constantly change in the glass, displaying notes of tarragon, cut grass, orange peel, yellow flowers, almond skins, and wet stone. On the palate, it showed textural heft with an oily feel, which was quickly washed away by green apple-tinged acidity, notes of lemon rind, herbs and moist minerals. Lasting on the finish and focused in the middle of the palate with a mix of herbal-tart citrus. This is a mind-bending style for Sancerre. (3068 views) | | | Tasted by tcarter on 3/26/2015 & rated 93 points: Fantastic bottle of 100% sauvignon blanc sancerre. Total unicorn wine. Tough to find. Drinking well young but could use some age. (2873 views) | | | Tasted by tooch on 12/12/2014 & rated 92 points: Holiday Party (Domaine Wine Storage - Chicago, IL): Big, juicy and powerful. This is Sauvignon Blanc on steroids. Grassy, and herbal with pronounced lemon and lime tones throughout. Alcohol peaks through a bit, but I've found that to be the case with very young Vatan wines. Time should even that out. Nice racy acidity keeps this balanced. This will need some time. (3302 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 12/11/2014 & rated 93 points: Domaine End of Year Party (Chicago, IL): Clearly identifiable as sauvignon blanc from the cat pee note, this is sauvignon blanc like I've never had before. The nose has tons of tropical fruit -- guava, pineapple, passionfruit -- which carry over the the palate, but at the same time, this is bone dry and insanely acidic (keep your Rolaids handy!). Incredible concentration that just beats you over the head over and over again. Wow. Despite being 14% abv, this shows absolutely no heat at all. (3435 views) | | | Tasted by Pknut on 9/4/2014: Pretty exceptional wine. This began rather taut, and nothing like any Sauvignon Blanc I've ever had, none of the herbal lift I was expecting, more like liquid rocks but with a smooth texture. With air, the tautness experienced some release, the wine broadened and took on very interesting nuances of white meringue, and salted creme fraiche. Long finish with plenty of acidity. This was really unique. With Neil at Racines in Tribeca. (2677 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Edmond VatanSome winemakers are producers. A few are truly artisans. And then there are that handful who could perhaps be best described as monastic in their approach-making wine, as their duty, in complete harmony with their creator. With Vatan, I find it preposterous to "judge" vintages. Literally, no matter what the conditions of the year, whatever he creates is remarkable, with amazing consistency from vintage to vintage. When asked how he can do this, he replies that it is so simple a matter that it needs no explanation-if you plant low-yielding vines on only the steepest, perfectly exposed slopes, prune severely, provide only necessary and natural treatments, (and as little as possible, forcing the vine down for strength and character), harvesting after all the rest have finished (no problem finding pickers then!) and vinifying according only to the traditional (actually ancient) methods-it becomes a question of comparing the personality of each vintage, not which is "better". What is this word "ancient" I use Vinification in old, old barrels-a natural vessel, but not with new oak, which would interfere with the natural fruit of the Sauvignon and terroir of Chavignol; one racking, and then bottling with no fining or filtration when the conditions are perfect in nature. If this sounds too out-moded to be true, you are in for an experience with your first taste. A unique wine which is unequalled, and only approached in Sancerre by the Cotat Domaine, which is enormous in comparison to Vatan (total production 500 cases, of which we in America get 125). The Pinot Rouge vines are also situated on the Mont Damnes, treated organically, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. There is no manipulation of the fermentation either (like must-heating or a pre-fermentation maceration), so this may not always be the darkest colored Pinot, but it is a marvel of complexity, terroir, and finesse. 150 cases a year produced.Sauvignon Blanc Varietal CharacterClos la Néore On weinlagen-infoFrance Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comLoire Valley Vins du Val de Loire (Interprofession des Vins du Val de Loire)
Jancis Robinson vintage reports
Wine Spectator vintage reports
Wine Scholar Guild vintage reports
2016 vintage:
"Quality and concentration is good, with Chenin Blanc being particularly noteworthy in 2016 while Sancerre is thought to be the best of the Sauvignon Blanc appellations. Cabernet Franc is 'delicious, ripe and fruity' according to Loire courtier Chris Hardy." - Jancis Roninson
2017 vintage reports:
Jancis Robinson
Vinfolio
"2018 wines will not be typical of the Loire rather they will have the characteristics of wines from much further south" - Philippe Gilbert
2019 vintage:
Academie du Vin report
"the warm 2019 vintage is characterised by a surprising freshness" - Jim Budd
Vineyards on weinagen-infoSancerre Map on weinlagen.info |
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